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Ripped off, damaged Watch! Advice please.



Captain Sensible

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2003
6,435
Not the real one
So I needed a new battery in my watch. It's made by victorinox and cost me about £100 a couple of years ago. So I go into a local jewellers that advertises changing watch batteries. The guy in the jewellers said it would cost £10 and he tried to open it. He couldn't, and asked me to leave it with him and collect tomorrow. It's a very local place and I am in the village everyday. So I thought nothing of leaving the watch with him. I didn't get a receipt( yes I know!!), seeing as I am local and about all the time, I didn't have any concerns. So I returned the next day and he said he couldn't open the watch and had to give it to a jewellers that work on Rolex's no less! So I said, ok I'll come back tomorrow. I was busy today so my wife went to pick up the watch, she paid the tenner and got the watch ( no receipt again! Yes yes I Know!!). About 8 pm tonight I get the watch and see that it has a different winder on the side that looks daft and doesn't seem to fit, but also it's pretty useless! You push it in and the watch stops, pull it out and it starts (back to front), also you can hardly set the time and the date keeps rolling around. The watch is damaged in quite a bad way, it's actually useless because with natural movement, the winder gets pushed in and the watch stops.
So I am going back tomorrow, but I have a feeling the guy is pretty untrustworthy now. After all he took the tenner off my wife knowing the watch was fücked, and he tried to hide it by putting a different winder in it!
So NSC, do I have a claim with the small claims court assuming the guys will be a dick, even though I have no proof? Will I threaten to slam him on social media, stand outside putting off customers etc? Also I want my tenner and half the value of the watch.
What would you do and what can you recommend? Any help is appreciated!! Cheers.
 






beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
35,264
...So I am going back tomorrow, but I have a feeling the guy is pretty untrustworthy now. After all he took the tenner off my wife knowing the watch was fücked, and he tried to hide it by putting a different winder in it!

he did? or it was the other shop he sent it too. not his watch might not notice such a thing, so probably best to ask for a fix first before reaching for the small claims or social media shaming.
 


Bring back Bryan wade!!

I wanna caravan for me ma
Jun 28, 2010
4,315
Hassocks
No receipts = No proof.

I would cut your losses, put it down to a hard but valuable experience learned and buy/save for another one.
 




Captain Sensible

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2003
6,435
Not the real one
he did? or it was the other shop he sent it too. not his watch might not notice such a thing, so probably best to ask for a fix first before reaching for the small claims or social media shaming.
I don't know, but it's just that when I returned the next day he told me he sent it somewhere. To be honest, I have a strong feeling HE broke it, and needed a little longer to try and fix it. I need to add that I don't know the guy, even though I'm always in the village, never seen the guy about. I don't really want to give him the watch again. if he says he'll make it good straight away, fine. But I have a feeling he will deny, and blame it on the other made up place. If the fella is difficult, what should I do, where do I stand small claims Wise? Just to kind of have an angle when I go back tomorrow.
 








Captain Sensible

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2003
6,435
Not the real one
For £100 ???

Talk to the guy, explain the issue.
If he doesn't comply, learn your lesson, and move on.

I don't mean I'm gonna trash his place. I mean trash his reputation. I pick my kids up from school everyday at 3, I can stand outside everyday and tell potential customers what a crook he is. And trash him on trustpilot, Google, Facebook, etc etc. Surely I shouldnt just accept that some **** has done me over for £100. It's something I have to threaten him with if he doesn't comply. From the answers I'm getting, it seems it's my only hand.
 


StonehamPark

#Brighton-Nil
Oct 30, 2010
9,762
BC, Canada
I don't mean I'm gonna trash his place. I mean trash his reputation. I pick my kids up from school everyday at 3, I can stand outside everyday and tell potential customers what a crook he is. And trash him on trustpilot, Google, Facebook, etc etc. Surely I shouldnt just accept that some **** has done me over for £100. It's something I have to threaten him with if he doesn't comply. From the answers I'm getting, it seems it's my only hand.

I think that's way ott.
If it was me, I'd calmly talk to the guy and hope for a good resolution. If that didn't work, I'm give myself a smack for not asking for a receipt and either fix the watch somewhere else or buy a new one.

Maybe I'm just a nice guy who doesn't feel the need to threaten someone over the sake of £100 when both parties made mistakes.
Take it on the chin.
 


Captain Sensible

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2003
6,435
Not the real one
I think that's way ott.
If it was me, I'd calmly talk to the guy and hope for a good resolution. If that didn't work, I'm give myself a smack for not asking for a receipt and either fix the watch somewhere else or buy a new one.

Maybe I'm just a nice guy who doesn't feel the need to threaten someone over the sake of £100 when both parties made mistakes.
Take it on the chin.

My only mistake is trusting the fella too much and not asking for a receipt. If he ran his shop properly I shouldn't even have had to ask! It's more the fella tried to cover it up. If he'd have been open about the damage, I'd be much more accommodating.
 




Sheebo

Well-known member
Jul 13, 2003
29,226
Hope he accepts he's wrong but definitely go in and complain. Those saying just cut your losses are almost accepting the poor show from him - if you let him get away with it he'll think he can do it to others and think he has one over on you or you're stupid.
 


Swillis

Banned
Dec 10, 2015
1,568
You could go back and ask for a receipt.
Just explain the situation to him(hopefully after you have a receipt). If that doesn't work send him a letter before action
Template here http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/letter/letter-before-small-claims-court-claim
giving him fourteen days to fix the watch or whatever else you want him to do, don't be unreasonable though as it will backfire. If he comes back and says the other shop damaged the watch it is still his responsibility. If he doesn't fix, pay for or replace the watch then you could issue a small claim online https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/web/mcol/welcome
You will need some quotes from other jewellers saying how much the watch will cost to repair. You and your wife could both write statements and the judge would go on the balance of probabilities, basically who he believes is telling the truth.

Personally I think the time, hassle and the chance of losing is not worth pursuing a small claim. But it depends how angry you are. Hopefully he will just fix it or the letter before action will panic him enough into sorting it.

Failing that superglue all his locks.
 


beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
35,264
... where do I stand small claims Wise?

nowhere really if you dont give him the chance to make amends. try that route first at least, if its unusable right now you've nothing to lose. if its not fixed then its his fault, demand replacment or see him in court, but thats not a good opening gambit.
 




Swillis

Banned
Dec 10, 2015
1,568
I think that's way ott.
If it was me, I'd calmly talk to the guy and hope for a good resolution. If that didn't work, I'm give myself a smack for not asking for a receipt and either fix the watch somewhere else or buy a new one.

Maybe I'm just a nice guy who doesn't feel the need to threaten someone over the sake of £100 when both parties made mistake.

Agreed, imagine taking a watch to have a battery changed at a jeweller's. Everyone knows you should take it to a butcher's.
 


Normal Rob

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2003
5,644
Somerset
No, ×××× it. Go large on the ××××. Leave it a few months the post turds to him, expanding filler insulation foam in his car exhaust. That kind of thing. :tantrum:
 


Captain Sensible

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2003
6,435
Not the real one
You could go back and ask for a receipt.
Just explain the situation to him(hopefully after you have a receipt). If that doesn't work send him a letter before action
Template here http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/letter/letter-before-small-claims-court-claim
giving him fourteen days to fix the watch or whatever else you want him to do, don't be unreasonable though as it will backfire. If he comes back and says the other shop damaged the watch it is still his responsibility. If he doesn't fix, pay for or replace the watch then you could issue a small claim online https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/web/mcol/welcome
You will need some quotes from other jewellers saying how much the watch will cost to repair. You and your wife could both write statements and the judge would go on the balance of probabilities, basically who he believes is telling the truth.

Personally I think the time, hassle and the chance of losing is not worth pursuing a small claim. But it depends how angry you are. Hopefully he will just fix it or the letter before action will panic him enough into sorting it.

Failing that superglue all his locks.

Cheers for that! That's what I was wondering. I think if we are all adults, we'll get along fine and he'll either try to fix it or compensate. It's just that he took our money for the work and it's gone through a botch repair job and he said nothing. So I'm already prepared for a confrontation.
 


Captain Sensible

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2003
6,435
Not the real one
Hope he accepts he's wrong but definitely go in and complain. Those saying just cut your losses are almost accepting the poor show from him - if you let him get away with it he'll think he can do it to others and think he has one over on you or you're stupid.

Yes agree, I can't just let someone preside over damaging my property and just saying 'oh well' lesson learned.
 




marlowe

Well-known member
Dec 13, 2015
3,898
Agreed, imagine taking a watch to have a battery changed at a jeweller's. Everyone knows you should take it to a butcher's.
Maybe that was the other shop the jeweller sent it to. Might also explain the condition it was in when returned.
 





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